Waxahachie ISD SHAC to review 'Choosing the Best' after opt‑in rules shrink participation
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Summary
SHAC members heard a detailed presentation on the Choosing the Best human sexuality curriculum, discussed logistical and budget pressures since Texas shifted to opt‑in in 2022, and agreed to form a subcommittee to explore alternatives and report back to SHAC before any board action.
Ginger Robinson, who introduced the district’s Choosing the Best human sexuality curriculum, told the School Health Advisory Council that the program has been in use since 2016 and was selected after a 2013–2016 review of available curricula. Robinson said EMAT had historically funded the program and that annual costs ran "anywhere from $13 to $15,000," primarily for student workbooks and teacher materials.
Robinson and district counselors told SHAC members that state policy changed in 2022 from an opt‑out system to an opt‑in system for human sexuality instruction, and that participation has declined since. "The state said, nope, no longer. It is now opt in," Robinson said, describing the policy shift and its immediate impact on enrollment in the curriculum.
Counselors described practical difficulties teaching five class periods of instruction when only a small fraction of students in a class opt in. One presenter explained that when only one or a few students opt in, those students receive the lesson separately from their classmates, creating discomfort and scheduling strain. The district provided cost details: the Choosing the Best platform requires purchasing a student workbook (about $5 per student who opts in) and a teacher manual (approximately $300 per teacher), and overall program costs were estimated in the low five‑figure range.
SHAC members discussed alternatives. The presenters outlined three district options: stop offering human sexuality instruction; replace the multi‑session curriculum with one‑time guest presentations for students who opt in (estimated up to $5,000 annually depending on funding and speaker fees); or continue Choosing the Best with adjustments to budget and delivery. Members also noted that Texas requires any human sexuality instruction the district offers to be abstinence‑based.
Members raised communication and consent challenges: paper permission slips have low return rates, and electronic opt‑in (Google forms, ParentSquare) has not fully solved the problem because not all parents open or act on messages. A SHAC member suggested standardizing communication through ParentSquare to reduce confusion.
SHAC agreed to form a review subcommittee to explore the options, collect additional data and recommendations, and return to SHAC with a proposal. "The committee will meet, obviously, and then, a conclusion of what they recommend. Then, they will bring that to SHAC, and SHAC will vote up or down on their recommendations," a presenter said. Any SHAC recommendation would then go to the Waxahachie ISD school board for final decision.
The council invited interested members to sign up for the subcommittee; the group did not take a formal vote on program change at the meeting.
